Korea, Denmark to mark 60 years of bilateral ties through ‘Year of Culture’

This photo from on Oct. 20, 2018, shows President Moon Jae-in (left) and Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen holding a summit at Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen. Both leaders agreed to designate 2019 as the “Year of Culture.” (Cheong Wa Dae)

By Kim Hyelin and Yoon Sojung

Korea and Denmark this year will host a variety of events to commemorate the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties.

In October last year, the leaders of both countries held a summit when President Moon Jae-in paid an official visit to Denmark. Both he and Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen agreed to make 2019 the “Year of Culture” to mark the diplomatic milestone.

The Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Jan. 15 announced a series of commemorative events to be held throughout the year in both countries.

The Korean Symphony Orchestra will start things off on Jan. 16 in Copenhagen with a concert at DR Koncerthuset (Danish Radio Concert Hall).

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Do Jong-hwan, who will attend the concert, said, “I hope the upcoming ‘Year of Culture’ events can help both countries form deeper cultural understanding and bolster cultural exchange.”

In February, an event promoting tourism will open in the Danish city of Herning. In the following month, the Korean non-verbal performance “Nanta” and the Korean band Coreyah, which combines gugak (traditional Korean music) with modern musical styles, will wow audiences in Copenhagen.

In April, the National Theater of Korea will stage the traditional Korean dance performance “The Scent of Ink” in Copenhagen, to be followed by a kimchi festival in June. In the second half of the year, the Danish capital will also host a taekwondo demonstration and a Korean film festival.

Korea, for its part, will host a series of exhibitions to mark the diplomatic anniversary. In May, an exhibition of the works of Danish painter Asger Jorn and Nordic Avant-garde will open at the Modern Museum of Contemporary Art (MMCA) in Seoul.

The same month, the Seoul Museum of History will host an event honoring Danish fairytale author Hans Christian Andersen (1805-75). Visitors to Nami Island in Gangwon-do Province can also see winning illustrations of his fairytales that received awards from Danish Queen Margrethe II.

Art Sonjae Center in Seoul will host a group exhibition by two Danish curators, Jacob Fabricius and Kunsthal Aarhus, in September and a solo exhibition of the works of Danish artist Jane Jin Kaisen in November. The Royal Danish Orchestra will also perform there in December.

To celebrate 60 years of official relations with Denmark, the Korean Culture Ministry has created a logo for the occasion by combining the images of the national flags of both countries. Each of the nations also named a well-known figure — Kang Sue-jin, artistic director of Korean National Ballet, and Danish Crown Princess Mary — to promote the year-long program of cultural events.